The unusually eventful day in St. Catharines.

Only two dry days in the last fourteen = soggy ground.
Soggy loose ground + 65 kph sustained winds + up to 96 kph gusts = lots of felled trees and electrical poles, which = power outage throughout pretty much the entire city.
Also this = no work for most of Bakkers' employees...

My bike ride to work was a little bit difficult this morning, but not more than usual with just 22kph wind. But by 8.30am my crew was sent home.  I tried to bike out of the parking lot, but just couldn't manage to keep my bike upright long enough to get going, so I walked Patrick to Dee's house and even that was a difficult task. There were moments when I had to stop moving just to keep on my feet.  Had I tried to bike home chances are I would have either gotten blown over into traffic and hit by a car, or gotten squashed by a fallen tree, or even gotten electrocuted by a fallen power line.
What did I do instead?  Went to Perkins with Dee and a couple others from work where we could only get old coffee and baked goods because their power was out so their kitchen was closed.  Then we played some games in the loft and then drove around town to check out the damage and take pictures (though after the first picture the camera battery died, oops).  I ate my packed lunch at Dee's and then stayed there for supper too because I only have an electrical stove here and the only food I have that does not require cooking is cereal, whereas they have a generator... (What would I do without them?)
I spent a good share of the day fretting over the groceries I just purchased on Tuesday (most of my concern was for the ice cream, of course, of which I only had a couple spoonfuls).  I finally went home around 9, only to find that my fretting was for naught.  Not only was the house still fully intact, but also it was one of the few in the city that had power.  There is evidence to suggest that perhaps about six and a half hours ago the power did go out, but fortunately not long enough to melt my ice cream and just long enough to defrost my mini-fridge, which was on my to-do list. Nice.

Remember when flip phones where cool?

Pat and Reggie

I need to laugh and when the sun is out, I've got something I can laugh about

Reginald. That's my moped's name, thanks to Jeff. I rode him all of two weeks, if that even, before my lack of plates got me pulled over. "This is going to be an expensive day for you," was what I was told by the cop after he found out I also was without insurance and a moped license. Surprisingly enough I managed to just sit on the curb and enjoy the sunshine without shedding any tears. Equally surprising to me was that the day turned out not to be so expensive at all, for instead of a fine, the policeman just gave me a severe warning. He made certain I knew the warning was in the computer and if I got pulled over again, there would be no mercy. I walked my moped nearly 3km home that day, and thus began of my intense daily exercise of biking to and from work every day. Most of the time I don't mind it too much, but on days like today when the 30 km/h wind is against me both ways, my optimism gives way to weariness.
Yet even on this windy day, God sent a little ray of sunshine in the form of a little old man with an electric scooter. Quietly and ever so slowly, the old man overcame me on the sharpest incline of the way home, and as he approached, he looked over, smiled and then raced me up the rest of the way. My weary legs were no match for his 250W or so, but my weary soul, which wanted to indulge in self-pity, was no match for his brilliant smile and playful spirit. I hope to see him again.